Pants on fire?

Here’s the hard truth: you are where you are because of the actions you chose to take. It’s time to take ownership of your life and stop lying to yourself about absolutely everything. Are you ready? Here are six worthwhile points to ponder:

1. Let go of the past. Yes, you lied to yourself, but what matters is how you move forward from this moment onwards. You can’t change the past, but you also can’t blame it for your future.

2. Stop telling lies. Now that you know you’ve been lying to yourself, stop.

4. Stop comparing yourself with others. You’re special, unique, and irreplaceable. Why live up to someone else’s dream when you could dream bigger and achieve better?

5. Figure out who and what you want to be. What did you want to be as a child? What do you want to be today? What would bring you true happiness? Who’s the authentic you? Write down the answers on a piece of paper, letting your brain flow. Don’t self-edit. Just write. I guarantee you’ll find yourself putting down something that will both surprise and delight you.

6. Take action. It’s still a lie until you make it a reality. Figure out what steps you’re going to take to achieve your goal and start doing them. Here’s the good news: even the simplest, initial action you take will change the way you feel about your situation. It’s time to let go of all the crap that’s holding you back. Make choices, not excuses and don’t even think about lying to yourself. That includes blaming others, blaming your situation, playing the victim and chalking your life up to the “hand you’ve been dealt”.

This is an edited version of Brian Parsley‘s article that appeared in the January 2016 issue of Sawubona magazine. Download here (for free).